War Of Attrition triggers a St Patrick's Day massacre

Two years ago War Of Attrition left Cheltenham as a brave loser, beaten a neck by Brave Inca in the Supreme Novice Hurdle. Yesterday, with Brave Inca already installed as the new Champion hurdler, he went one better than his old rival with victory in the Gold Cup, as Ireland's dominance at the Cheltenham Festival reached new and unprecedented heights.

War Of Attrition's success was the ninth at the meeting for an Irish-trained horse, equalling the record set in 1958 and 2005, and the 10th, Whyso Mayo, came in the next race. "For as long as the economy is good, people will be prepared to keep the best horses at home in Ireland and not be forced to sell them on," said War Of Attrition's trainer, Mouse Morris, and at just seven years of age his horse could be a commanding force in steeplechasing for several seasons to come.

It was all very easy for Conor O'Dwyer, War Of Attrition's jockey, who settled his horse behind the early pace and moved towards the front of the race with about a mile left to run.

There was a reminder of the success of Kicking King - another seven-year-old - last year as he cruised into the lead halfway down the hill, and the only doubt remaining as O'Dwyer turned in with two to jump was whether his stamina would stretch to 3¼ miles.

Hedgehunter, last year's Grand National winner and a certain stayer, was the only horse able to go after him and for a moment on the run to the last Ruby Walsh's mount seemed to be making ground. But War Of Attrition was not stopping and stayed on again up the final climb to win by 2½ lengths. Forget The Past was third, completing a 1-2-3 for Ireland on St Patrick's Day.

War Of Attrition, who is owned by Michael O'Leary, the chief executive of Ryanair, was immediately installed as the favourite for next year's Gold Cup by most bookmakers, with Kicking King, who missed this year's race after suffering an injury in January, close behind. Hedgehunter, meanwhile, is as short as 4-1 with Ladbrokes to win a second Grand National at Aintree three weeks today.

The prospect of steering War Of Attrition through the rest of his career should ensure that O'Dwyer, who will be 40 next month, postpones his retirement from race-riding for a season or two.

"Hopefully the horse will be back here, and I'd hate to be at home watching someone else riding him on the telly," the jockey said. "He's an easy horse to ride, he just loves his racing and jumping. He did everything I wanted and everywhere I wanted to go, he was able to go. I had a quick look behind and knew that it was Hedgehunter who was coming after me, but the way he jumped the last two fences, I knew that there was no way anything was going to get by him."

Morris, who was an excellent jockey in the 1970s and twice rode the winner of the Champion Chase, was saddling his sixth Festival winner, 23 years after sending out Buck House to win the Supreme Novice Hurdle. "I've always held this horse in the highest regard," Morris said. "He has a high cruising speed and a lot of boot, and when you have that in a horse who stays as well, you've got yourself a real racehorse."

War Of Attrition, a 15-2 chance, had plenty of supporters among the 68,000 spectators who crammed into the grandstands, but the favourite for yesterday's race was Beef Or Salmon, another Irish-trained runner, who had shown no affinity for the course in three previous attempts at the race.

The backers gave him one last chance and sent Beef Or Salmon off at 4-1, but he was never travelling with any rhythm and eventually came home in 11th place. "I have to believe people now when they say that he just doesn't like it here," Michael Hourigan, Beef Or Salmon's trainer, said. "I've just spoken to his owners and said maybe we shouldn't bring him back here any more."